forcibly stepped on Evan Dietrich-Smith's right arm during...

November 30, 2011

forcibly stepped on Evan Dietrich-Smith's right arm during the third quarter of the Lions' 27-15 loss last Thursday in a nationally televised Thanksgiving Day game. Before the stomp seen from coast to coast, Suh shoved Dietrich-Smith's helmet toward the turf while separating himself from the Packers player on the ground.

It might have hurt Suh's case when he sounded defiant during his postgame news conference, insisting he didn't intentionally step on his opponent. After the Lions criticized his conduct Friday, Suh issued an apology to his teammates, organization and fans -- not to Dietrich-Smith -- as some around the league said his latest outburst proved he was the NFL's dirtiest player.

"I'll let him speak for himself when he gets that opportunity, but I've had a lot of conversations with him the last two days and I think he is in a different spot," Lions coach Jim Schwartz said Tuesday. "I think his No. 1 thing is, he didn't want to be a distraction for the team. He wanted the team to be able to focus on the Saints and he wants to be accountable for his actions."